Repulsive Food Eater
by The Demon Of Sloth
Summary: Stampy is well known for his love for cake; everyday he would indulge himself with it, so many that it is deemed unhealthy. His over indulgence in cakes soon landed him in a fatal condition where he has only six months left to live. Just then, a demon comes along and offers him a chance to be healthy again if he signs a fateful contract that would change everything...
1. Chapter 0--Dawn of Nightmares

**Description: **Stampy is well known for his love for cake, and everyday he would indulge himself with cakes, so many that it is deemed unhealthy. He should have known that his over indulgence in those sugary treats would land him in a fatal condition where he has only six months left to live. Just as he lies on his sickbed, a certain demon comes along and offers him a chance to be healthy again, only if he signs a contract. Little did he know that that very contract would cause much more grief...

**Contains: Horror, Cannibalism, Skeletal doggies and grotesque meals. Oh, and demons too.**

**Disclaimer: **This is a humanized fan fiction written in UK English. Please note that this fan made story does not reflect on the real person's life, behaviour, morals etc.

Inspired by: Deadly Sins of Evil: Evil Food Eater Conchita.

Repulsive Food Eater

Chapter 0-The Dawn of Nightmares

.

_Obsepio, Minecraftia_

_Northern Country_

.

"Thank you Lee!" Stampy said in his usual chirpy voice as he did not hesitate to feast on the delectable confectionary. He dug his hands into the cake, disrupting the perfectly smeared cream. As the piece of cake entered his mouth, it melted and he slowly savoured the thousands of different flavours of it, even though it only consisted of vanilla and caramel. He chewed on the ripe juicy cherries, enjoying how the juice would ooze out when he chewed on them. The fluffy cream was whipped up perfectly, just the way he loved.

And this was only the first bite.

Stampy was in heaven. He felt like the world's luckiest man on Minecraftia, being able to wake up every morning and look forward to the mouth watering cakes Lee baked for him. Despite the continuous warning about how consuming too many cakes could lead to many health problems, it fell into deaf ears. Honestly, Stampy never cared. Look at him now-he is still healthy, active and attentive as well; even after eating so many cakes. He never liked to be under control like a caged bird; he wanted to be free to make his own decisions in life rather than being over-coddled by a know-it-all.

"Lee, I was wondering how earth are you able to bake such wonderful cakes? I mean, they're better than any other cakes I've eaten!" Stampy asked as he wolfed down his last mouthfuls of his breakfast.

Lee just smiled bashfully and replied, "It's a secret."

"Hah hah, alright then. I shall not prod any further."

"Say, what shall we build today? Do you feel like adding a new minigame, or a new shop of some sorts?" Lee asked curiously.

To be honest, Stampy did not know. He usually had ideas for a new addition in his territory he liked to call: 'Stampy's Lovely World' (he felt that calling it 'The Northern Country' was too bland). Today however, his mind was blank.

Obsepio was a massive continent; so massive that it was rumoured to be endless. From the beginning, humble villagers would build little villages for themselves to survive and a place to call home. As time progressed, these villagers discovered new materials and new ways to build. Soon they started shedding off their humble villager skin and became more bold in their creations. One day, the slowly evolving humans decided that they would become independent and went on their separate ways. The western region, Minecraftia, was founded by one of the best builders in the whole of Obsepio: Steve. The eastern region, Germanium was founded by Steve's supposed brother, Alex. The others, are for another story.

However, there was a limit to how much they could build, as they could not build across their country's borders. Thus, instead of building massive structures, Stampy only limited himself to building miniature size to save land for future creations.

"I feel lazy today Lee. Why not have some fun at the FunLand? We could ride the Creeper Coaster and have a round of any game you want." Stampy silently praised himself for coming up with a smart excuse for his lack of ideas. Besides, he found himself getting very tired when working, which was unusual seeing as he is extremely energetic, constantly on the go. Perhaps its just his body signaling to him that he had worked too hard and deserved a break.

**...**

Being a shy and outspoken teenage boy, Lee found it difficult to express his opinions without worrying about how the opposite party would react to his personal views. Even though he wanted so badly just to tell his friend about how he felt about him, he was just too polite to do so. Every time he saw Stampy wolfing down one cake after another, the urge to criticize the orange haired man grew.

It was no doubt that Lee was amongst the beat bakers in the whole of Minecraftia. What his friends did not know was that he came from a long line of professional cooks and bakers. The Matoad family was proud of their heritage, and they wanted their offspring to strive for the best in the world of food. The secret to their success was... secrets. Secret recipes, secret spices and secret cookware are very common in the Matoad family to prevent others from stealing their recipes that was passed on from generation to generation.

Lee was a natural and learned much faster than his classmates in Food And Nutrition Academy. He was so smart that he decided to graduate early to embark on a journey around the globe to make his culinary skills famous. After a year, he soon settled down in the Northern Country where he met Stampy and his friends. They were unlike anybody he had ever met. They were positive, energetic, and fun to hang out with. Most of all, they all enjoyed his confectioneries. They pleaded him to stay, and after many pouts and whining, Lee submitted to their requests.

Lee would never forget the sheer look on Stampy's face when he ate his cake for the first time. He went berserk, screaming and cheering, hugging Lee like there was no tomorrow.

_"This is the absolute beat cake I have ever tasted! Thank you so much for coming into my life Mister Lee!"_

_"Ah... It's nothing. You can call me Lee if you want."_

He never thought that he would say this... but Lee felt that Stampy needed to stop eating so many cakes. He tried his best to make his baked goods as healthy as he could, but still, it was unhealthy eating that many cakes on a daily basis.

Stampy was now noisily devouring his fourth cake, and it wasn't even lunchtime yet.

"JOSEPH!" A few people turned to stare.

"...what?" Stampy turned to face Lee as he rubbed off cake crumbs off his mouth with the back of his hand. Lee rarely called him by his real name, and when he does, he knew that he was _really_ pissed off at him for whatever reason.

"Honestly, how many cakes do you usually eat?"

"Uhmm... I usually have one for breakfast, one for lunch, another one for tea break, and one and a half for dinner. Sometimes I have another cake as a snack before lunch. Oh! And for brunch-"

"See? In total that makes about four and a half, if not five! If you continue like this you'll fall sick!"

Hearing the absolute same thing many times before, Stampy only responded with a roll of his eyes, "Lee, there's no need to worry. I'm perfectly fine!"

His reply only made Lee even more pissed than he was before. "What! How can you say such a thing! You're not invincible, Joseph!" Murmuring and gossip from the crowd started spreading like wildfire.

Stampy could not believe that he was doing this. How could he criticize him like that? He loved cakes, and nobody can change that!

"Ughh... you know what? I'll leave you alone. Obviously you are too thick skinned to listen." With that, the teenager turned his back on the adult and stormed off, leaving Stampy to his own thoughts.

**...**

Did I ever mention that Joseph was actually a Duke? I'm pretty sure not.

Due to his childish behaviour, to a foreigner, it was difficult to believe that the silly orange haired man was actually the Duke of the Northern Country. Most dukes and nobles were poise, upright and stoic. However, Stampy and his noble friends hardly ever cared about seriousness. Instead of plain documents and dull meetings, they were more of hugs and fun. Sure, being in a government position required one to complete papers and stuff, but in the Northern Country, looking through government matters was a piece of cake. He provided whatever the people needed and desired. A bakery? Sure. A roller coaster? No problem. Everyone was happy; there were little to no complaints; and even if there were problems, they were only minor and could be fixed in a jiffy.

Unlike other countries, Stampy was very flexible with his people. Usually after he was done with paperwork he would walk downtown and hang out with the townsfolk, or play games in his theme park.

Building was what Stampy also enjoyed besides eating cake. Being the humble man he is, he would help out with the building. Even though he was heavily criticized by rulers and leaders of other countries, he still took pride in his actions. Besides, there wouldn't be a need to hire more manpower, which saves a sum of good money to be spent for other uses.

Stampy never understood how other middle and high class people could wear uncomfortable robes and cloth they call fine clothes all day long. Since young, he would resist whatever regal clothing that was uncomfortable, and his parents had no choice but to get the tailor to sew his clothes with wool, which was clothing material meant for the peasantry. Even though he received shocked and disgusted glares from other nobles, he just simply shrugged it off by saying, "they're just surprised. It's not every day that they see a high-class person wear wool clothing."

The Norths adored their duke and loved him for who he was, even though a small number of the population opposed of his behaviour. Stampy was happy, (most) of the townspeople were happy, everything was alright.

At least for now.

**...**

Stampy's eyes skimmed through the report on his dining table. Something about fencing up the FunLand since there were plentiful enough of games and rides at the flourishing theme park. He hurriedly wrote a reply and stamped it, sealing the letter in an envelope. He then pressed a button on the wall which revealed a drawer, and he placed the letter in and pressed the button again, where it would be sent to the post office where his intelligent pet chicken, Flap would sort out all the mail.

The handy contraption for sending mail was made by Stampy's good friend LongBow. He mentally noted to himself that he needed to thank the redstone genius for such an invention.

Releasing a sigh like he normally did when he was done with his work, the orange haired man ate up his last piece of cake he had been unconsciously carrying with in his hand. After the argument with his baker friend, Stampy had no choice but to make his own. It wasn't as tasty as Lee's, but it was still a cake at least. Besides, Lee and his own bakery skills should not be compared.

Even though it was already night and he should be tucked up tight in bed, Stampy headed straight to the doghouse, where another one of his best friends lived. And no, he's not a dog.

Gently knocking on the door, he called out, "Squid Nugget! Are you still awake buddy?"

As soon as he called, the door swung open to reveal a blue haired man staring back at him. "Oh hey Stamps. Whatcha doin' up so late?"

Stampy shrugged. "I just wanted to have someone to talk to maybe? I can't sleep anyways."

"Oh sure, come on in."

They set up two makeshift beds on Squid's balcony as they lay down and stared up at the twinkling stars above them. "Hey Stamps, where's Lee gone? I haven't heard from him much."

"I... sorta had a little disagreement with him. He hasn't returned home though, probably went to stay the night at the hotel or something." Stampy admitted, shifting uncomfortably in his bed.

"Oh? About what? You two get along so well. Heck, even I had more arguments with ya than Lee!" Squid said, not diverting his attention from the stars.

"Cake."

Upon hearing that, Squid turned to face his friend. "Ppfftt, cake? How can you guys even argue over somethin' that Lee bakes and you eat every single day?"

A pang of guilt shot through Stampy. "Exactly. Lee complains that I eat too much and I'm gonna die or something like that."

"Can't blame him though. You _do _eat a lota cake. Y'know sometimes I always wonder how you can eat so much without falling sick or gaining weight. Or how you managed to train a chicken to sort out your mail." Squid said as he returned his gaze heavenward.

Stampy chuckled softly. He didn't have any magical ability or any of those things that was rumored about him. Perhaps in the future he might find out what was so special about himself.

"Hey Stamps, look! I think I can see a squid constellation! That cluster of stars must be an ink sac! Oh! I think the squid's holding it! Hello squid! Hello squid!" Squid exclaimed, pointing at the night sky in childish excitement.

"Nooo, that's an octopus!"

"No it's not!"

Soon, the two engaged themselves in their little activity, making out animals and objects from the huge mass of stars, their findings becoming more and more retarded as they continued.

"Hah hah hah...! That was so much fun! Thanks for the company Squiddie." Stampy said as he laid both of his hands on his stomach, sighing in content as he allowed the softness of the pillow to cushion his head.

Squid sat up and chuckled, "tired already? No offense Stamps, but you can't really stay here. I don't want anyone who happens to see us on the balcony to get the wrong idea."

Stampy rolled his eyes and punched Squid playfully. "Ppftt...! I'm not gay Squid. Do you really take those rumours seriously?"

Besides the rumour of Mage Stampy, there was this... other rumour that the cheerful duke was homosexual. When Squid informed him about it, he shrugged it off as usual. "Bleh...probably some loose-tongued person said that... don't take it to heart! I already have a girlfriend!"

When Stampy tried to get up, he felt a strong jolt of pain from his chest. At first, he thought of it as another one of his weird cramps, but the pain came back stronger than ever. He clutched both hands to his chest tightly, wrinkling his clothing. He started feeling giddy, as though a large boulder was strapped on top of his head. His vision was blurry as he struggled to balance on his feet.

Cold sweat formed on his forehead as he fell off the bed, kneeling on the ground and moaning in agony. "...Squid... h-help..."

Squid did not hesitate to rush to his friend's side, squeezing his shoulders and shaking him gently. "Stamps! Stamps! What's wrong? Answer me!"

Stampy tried to answer, but his throat was as dry as a desert. He released a strangled moan as his world turned black.

**...**

In a dimly lit room, Stampy looked around him, questioning himself where he was. He ran to his left, but knocked onto a wall. He then walked along the wall, realizing that he was stuck in a tiny room without any door. How did I even get here, he wondered to himself.

At the right smack middle there was a small round table, a beautiful, ornate wine glass that was filled with a blood red liquid rested on the tabletop.

Curious, Stampy went to have a closer look. The wine glass was made of pure crystal, and the unique patterns engraved on it were very detailed. If this were ever sold at the auction, he estimated that it would be auctioned at a ridiculously high price.

Stampy noticed that the glass was very polished, so polished that he could see his own reflection on the surface. Out of boredom, he started making faces to amuse himself. It did kind of reminds him of his childhood days, where he would wag his tongue and pull his cheeks at his reflection on his dinner plates and spoons.

Out of a sudden, his reflection changed. The reflection's smile widened as it stretched its cheekbones as though it were rubber. Sharp fangs were visible poking through pale red gums. Its emerald green pupils reduced into small dots on the whites of its eyes. With this, Stampy shrieked in horror as he backed away.

His reflection manifested before him in mist form, the same shade of red as the liquid in the glass. It wore probably the most extravagant attire any aristocrat would dream of having, and it's blood red eyes bore into his very soul.

Staring at him _hungrily, _even.

Instinctively, Stampy raised his arms to shield himself from the probably dangerous demon right in front of him. "S-stay away from me!"

The demon ignored his pleas as it advanced onto him. Stampy braced himself as he curled up into a ball, awaiting his doom. The demon opened its predatory mouth...

Instead of devouring him whole, it said, "take away life from you, and what's left?"

**I'm stopping here, just because I'm evil.**

**If you don't know, I'm obsessed with Evillious Chronicles. You should Google for the wiki, its really good. **

**Speaking of which, I might probably write more stories based off E.C using YouTubers. The outcome might be interesting. **


	2. Chapter I--Pursuit of Delights

Repulsive Food Eater

Chapter I—Pursuit of Delights

Food shortages is becoming a problem. Because of the recent poor harvests, food supplies were lesser. If this continued, the people would starve, and that was something Stampy wanted to avoid.

Besides, his last seizure was also a cause for worry. After the demon's words, Stampy woke up, covered in sweat from head to toe, screaming like a madman. Squid and Sqaishey were paranoid with worry, Amy became an overprotective nanny, and Lee was kind enough to pay him a visit. They both apologized face to face, and pinky promised that their little disagreement would be the last.

After having proper rest and medication, Stampy was well enough to work again, but after he heard of the food shortages, he was worried that he might have another seizure.

"What to do, what to do, what to do..." Stampy moaned as he face-desked. He told Lee to try and come up with more recipes and asked the neighbouring countries for relief aid. Even with the help from the other countries, the problem could never be permanently solved, unless...

...If he went to other countries to taste their cuisine?

That would be the perfect plan, Stampy told himself, I have never really exposed myself to foreign culture; who knows what treasures lay beneath the vast ocean of the unknown? Perhaps I might even gather new ideas for a new creation!

With this, the duke enthusiastically prepared for his trip. He temporarily put Squid in charge, send his friends goodbyes and stocked up the food dispenser in his dog house (specially seasoned meat, just because he loved his dogs). As for Mittens, she was lodged in with the dogs so that she doesn't get lonely.

And so, off Stampy went on his pursuit for delights. He visited the Eastern Country since it was the closest. Where conveniently, his sister, Netty lived. They had lively chats during tea time, discussing about governmental affairs.

Duchess Annette's home was by far more elegant and bigger than her sibling's; so elegant that it competed with King Finn's castle. The interior walls were mostly made out of beige marble, and the peach floor tiles were carefully polished up to the point where you could see your own reflection clearly. Beautiful crystal chandeliers hung over the room, giving off soft glows that brightened the massive room.

"Eh, we're doing fine. Just some minor criminal activity going around the streets."

"What kind of activities?"

Netty shrugged. "Oh y'know, theft, animal abuse and robbery. Nothing that I can't handle."

"Whaa? You consider those _minor _offenses? Animal abuse is inhumane! You should give out harsher punishments!" Stampy has a strong love for animals and was unable to tolerate animal abuse. The punishment at the North for animal abuse was long term jail, while in the East it was a simple fine.

"For Notch sake, calm down Joseph! This is supposed to be a happy conversation! Why not we talk about the good in our countries, hmm?"

'_Clang... Clang...Clang...' _The toll of the church bells sounded.

"Oh, it's snack time."

A servant bought their teatime snacks. It looked like bread, though not in the loaf shape that Stampy was so familiar with.

"What's this?"

"Brioche. It's delicious, try it."

...Mmph... It's sweet. And the shape of this snack is unique...nice." Stampy commented with his mouth full of the delicious snack.

"Aww, I knew you'd love it! Say, have you tasted our éclairs yet?"

With every country he visited, Stampy learned new recipes and cuisines. He had tasted so much varieties of food that he could almost call himself a gourmet food eater. Heck, he didn't even know that squids was edible! He'd better not reveal to Squid Nugget that he literally ate a squid, or else his blue haired friend would come after him.

Since his food journey, the food shortage problem was gradually improving. Soon, the North duke was known as "Gourmet Noble Stampy", the silly rumours of Mage and Gay Stampy was old news.

While Stampy was happily eating his tea time snack-cupcakes, a very pissed off Squid burst into the dining room, his hair dishevelled and his black eyes were burning with fury. He stormed up to his friend, who merely glanced up at him, munching on his cupcakes without a care in the world.

"STAMPS! THIS IS UNFORGIVABLE! INHUMANE! DOWNRIGHT DISGUSTING!"

"What?" Stampy asked, trying to hide his annoyance of his tea break rudely disturbed.

"I was walking downtown, when I saw a group of people eating grilled squids! Can you believe that Stamps?!"

_(Shit...)_

"Ah! Oh! It's just... well... I sorta..."

"WHAT?!"

"Y'know, during my journey around Minecraftia to search for new foods, I sorta learned that squids were...well... eeeedible? And it did kind of taste...good..."

Squid's jaw hit the floor. "But still! That's mean! There _has _to be a law to protect the squids! You just have to enforce one Stamps!"

Stampy threw away the empty cupcake wrapper and sighed. "Look Squid, I know you love squids a lot just like I love cats, but honestly! This new discovery gives the Norths a new type of cuisine to enjoy! Heck, even your best friend Adam builds squid farms that harvests their ink sacs and meat. Eating squids is a popular trend in the South, and you hold no grudge against them."

Seeing Squid at a lost for words, Stampy continued, "besides, we should keep ourselves up to date with the latest trends. It helps countries to build up better relations, no?"

"Even so, I don't think you would dare to eat cats if it becomes a trend one day."

"Hah hah hah! I hope that day doesn't come."

"...what a hypocrite..."

**...**

Recently, Stampy has been very devoted to create a new type of wine dubbed "Nether Rine". He planned for it to have a very distinctive netherrack red, and the wine to be served steaming hot. When he was asked why was he doing this, he said it was dedicated for a certain someone who helped build up his nation, but he could not precisely remember who.

Once in a while, Sqaishey would visit Stampy and witness him busying himself with his work at his secret base.

"Watcha doing?" Sqaishey asked the same question every time she visited.

"Didn't I told you? I'm working on Nether Rine." Stampy replied, not the least bit annoyed in having to answer the same old question his girlfriend would ask. He was the type of man to not get angry easily, a trait that Sqaishey loved about him.

"Yeah, okay; but, you don't even remember who you're dedicating your wine to. What's the point?"

"Well, even though I don't really know how he looks like or what the heck his name is, but without his contributions, my country wouldn't be a flourishing paradise as it is."

Upon hearing his response, Sqaishey let out an audible tsk and rolled her eyes. "Oh please! He attacked your country! He wrecked havoc and caused bloodshed! How is that 'helped build up my nation'?!"

Stampy halted all actions and turned to face the annoyed blonde. "You still remember when I was given the title as duke? I have lived a comfortable and sheltered life, never having to worry about danger. I never cared much about defence. No matter how my parents persuaded me that I had to do something about external threats, I didn't listen.

"After he attacked my homeland and destroyed almost everything I held dear, I realised that besides food and games, defence was necessary. Without it, no matter how rich I am or how many games I've built in my FunLand, they will crumble away through riots, street fights, terrorist attacks, not mentioning war."

The duke winced as he turned his head away from Sqaishey, who saw the pain in his eyes as he mentioned the fateful war that broke out years ago. Stampy could still remember every single detail of that day. He was with his family and his people, gathered at the FunLand where the fireworks show was held. Everyone waited restlessly, excitedly murmuring about the upcoming show. When the fireworks were finally released, everyone cheered...

...Until a single piece of TNT was fired to the crowd.

Ear piercing shrieks and panicked cries were released as the explosive instantly killed the unfortunate people that were within the blast radius. Wild wolves appeared out of nowhere and started to attack the people mercilessly. The noble family were fleeing the scene, defenceless and unable to do anything to help.

It was then, where that mysterious man who was cloaked in heavy red armour was standing right in front of them, aiming an arrow with a bow at them. The nobles were cornered. It was either they run back and get brutally attacked by the wolves, or risk getting shot by the mysterious man.

Almost all too suddenly, the man fired his arrow, where it landed straight on Stampy's father's chest. He collapsed and died instantly on the spot. Stampy's mother rushed over to her husband's side, but she was also shot, but from the back. Poor Stampy was at a loss, unsure of what to do. He tried to save his mother by recklessly pulling out the arrow out of her, only to realise that the arrowhead was still embedded in her. She coughed out blood before lying limp on the ground.

Stampy let out a high pitched wail as he his his face with his hands, shaking his head in denial, refusing to believe that his only family was gone forever. He cried _hard, _his tears hitting the stone brick floor. He knelt down, curling himself up into a ball to shield himself from the horrid monster that murdered his parents in front of him.

The man simply cackled, feasting on the sight of the pathetic noble bawling his eyes out. It was quite amusing to see him suffer, and he was considering keeping him alive for the sake of satisfying his sadistic pleasures.

Just then, a diamond sword was aimed on his neck between a small gap in the red armour. A low voice warned him not to move or do anything foolish. With his sneaky ninja-like skills, he skidded away from the person standing behind him. When he had a good look of the person's face, his jaw dropped and his eyes widened in disbelief.

"You...! How did you know?!"

To make things simple, he and Stampy's saviour had a rough battle, and the mysterious red archer managed to temporarily escape. The riots raged on for several weeks before the mastermind fled by boat.

Stampy's saviour was the king of the Western Country, King Finnball. He was extremely grateful to the king for his help, even though he felt embarrassed that a full grown man like himself needed saving. He learned that the unnamed archer was a terrorist, and the reason that the North of all countries was targeted because it had little to no defence force.

January 1st, A.D. 500 was the grimiest New Year's Day, a day that the duke will never forget. Even though five years have passed since the incident, the emotional scars were still present, and will remain there for years to come.

"Well... god... I'm sorry. I'm so terribly sorry. I shouldn't have been so narrow minded..." Sqaishey apologised profusely, giving her boyfriend a tender hug. Stampy returned the hug, whispering in her ear that it was alright. They remained this way for a couple of minutes that seemed to drag on like hours, Nether Rine long forgotten.

Stampy didn't blame her, but he blamed himself for being an ignorant, foolish child back then. If only he had been more matured, then the situation right now could have been different. He would have led a completely different life and controlled over a completely different country. For better or worse, he didn't really know.

**...**

Today was perfect. Birds were chirping, the sun was shining, the flowers were blooming. Stampy swore he heard the faint sound of wind chimes greeting him good morning as he woke up from bed, refreshed and ready for adventures.

This seems like a cheesy storybook intro, but in all seriousness, he was in a really good mood today. The weather was fine, and the cool breeze of spring was refreshing. Today was the day of absolute importance, and he had to be happy.

Tonight, there was a banquet held in the Southern Country for the birthday of their king, Adam (or also known as Sky by Squid). There will be lots of great food that Stampy was sure that he would enjoy, and maybe discover a few more to share with his homeland. Also, he wanted to seize the opportunity to build up an even better relationship between both of their countries during Sky's happiest moments of his life.

Soon, it was finally time for the birthday banquet. It was an extremely long journey. As the Southern Country was an island surrounded by sea, they had to take a boat ride in addition to the already nauseous carriage journey to the harbour. Even though having experienced the nausea of the carriage and boat journey, Stampy still vomited a few times along the way. The only ones who got seasick was himself and Lee, while the rest were perfectly fine. Well, it wasn't surprising for Squid since he is used to life at sea.

Resisting the temptation to kiss the ground when they arrived to their destination, Stampy tried to distract himself by thinking about how he could improve his country by building some sort of facility?

"Hey guys!" A voice warmly greeted them. Sky was dressed in the finest gold silk clothing, the fabric reflecting the already bright lights in the ballroom. He was so bright that one had to shield their eyes from the glaring light. The magnificent clothing was woven with extreme skill and care by the most excellent tailor in the country. Every stitch, every piece of thread was absolutely perfect. In the ballroom packed with people, the king was like a rose among the thorns.

"Hey Sky! How's life?" Squid replied in a very brotherly manner, disregarding any formalities. Not like they cared much for formalism anyway.

"Great! There has been a very successful harvest of gold, and the squid population is totally under control. Healthy marriage, healthy country, awesome living!"

While the two friends chatted away, Amy and Rosie went to interact with the other noblewomen. Sqaishey remained at Stampy's side, slinging her arm around his, like how a normal couple should act. He was clearly more interested in food rather than socialising, which he was browsing through with expert detail. In less than an hour, he had tasted at least every single type of food available.

Sqaishey tried to pry her boyfriend away from the food and get him to talk with the other nobles at the party, but after many failed attempts, she sighed in defeat and left Stampy to his own devices.

The food was great, but where was dessert? Even though Lee nagged at him time and time again that too many sweet stuff blah blah blah damages your health blah blah blah, there was no way Stampy was going to not eat any cakes on such a special occasion.

The party lasted on, with the guests pouring in the enormous ballroom, giving their congratulations and showering endless praise to Sky, so much that he could be swimming in it. Sky was beyond delighted to be in the limelight. As the Southern Country being the most richest and influential countries in all of Minecraftia, it was no exaggeration to say that everything existed for the sake of his entertainment.

There were rumours that claimed that Sky was an arrogant, stuck-up brat. Some Souths even feared that their king would one day abuse his power and transform into a tyrant. Squid tried to alter the foolish thinking, since he was Sky's close friend after all. When hardly anybody took him seriously, Duke Tyler managed to convince all of them by saying that Sky was by no means arrogant and is incorruptible. It was just that simple as Tyler has many 'devotees' that believe in him, and the effect of his words is unparalleled.

The gathering became more animated. Looks like the main event is about to arrive.

"Welcome everyone! Thank you all for coming today! There are plenty of food and beverages, so please eat to your heart's content! Enjoy yourselves!" Tyler announced. Everyone applauded before resuming to their own activities.

"It's hard to believe that I was in a foul mood this morning. The servants were literally doing everything wrong! Not to mention that there was an... attempted break in. The sneaky thief stole a huge number of valuable items stored in the vault! You should have seen Alesa's face when her favourite necklace was stolen!" Stampy overhead Sky's conversation with Ssundee.

"Have you seen what the thief looked like?"

"I only caught a glimpse of him, but I swear that he was wearing some sort of red attire, and he was holding something, but I don't know what."

"Did you remember the vault guards having any stabs that could be made by a sword, or some other tools like axes or pickaxes?"

"No... the doctors are still trying to find out their manner of death."

(_Red attire? Could it be...? No, just the their wearing red doesn't mean it's him... but the deadly wounds weren't caused by a sword, axe or pickaxe. Other than a bow, what other weapon could he use?)_

"Hey, there's still one more thing, and it's something big!" Sky exclaimed softly.

"Huh? I thought that's all of it..."

"It's my birthday silly! There's _always _some big present made especially for me."

"Everyone, this is a special gift made especially for our beloved king, and also for your entertainment." Tyler's voice was a sign for the servants to bring out the special treat. There was slight bickering and hushed tones going on behind the front doors. Soon, the servants wheeled in the most probably magnificent delicacy Stampy had ever seen in his lifetime.

The treat was about Lee's height. The base was made out of countless layers of cake. The outer walls were covered in smooth buttercream, and there was butter bars sticking onto the cream. Many gold bars surrounded the silver platter, showing off the country's riches (despite the fact that there was a raid in the vault earlier this morning). It was so skilfully made, and it rivalled against Lee's baking skills.

Everyone was awestruck. Their mouths were opening and closing like fishes out of water. If it were possible, their jaws would be touching the ground right now.

While everyone was busy oohing and aahing at the sight of the magnificent cake, Stampy nudged Sky impatiently and whispered to him, "hey! When are we going to eat that mouth-watering cake?"

"Oh? Not so fast mister. Let all of the guests bask in the sight of fine magnificence that is my birthday gift."

_"Whaaat? _It's torture Your Majesty! Why would you do this to me? Just by looking at it makes me feel like a man that has not eaten for weeks! Come on; on behalf of me being Squid's best friend, can I just have a _teeny weeny _bite?" Stampy whined like a child.

"Nope"

"..."

After what seemed like an eternity, Stampy was _finally_ able to eat up the cake. Of course, he was amongst all the guest that ate the most. While he was delving himself into his fourth serving, he swore he caught a glimpse of someone storming out of the ballroom, with a pink haired woman calling out to him.

"Where are you going? The party's not over yet! It'll be rude of you to just storm off like that!"

**...**

After the party, Stampy and co returned back home with satisfied bellies. On the way back, everyone tried to keep Stamps and Lee distracted by conversing with them about what happened in the party at their point of view and stuff like that. It was necessary since they didn't want the duo to puke out their food; that would be disastrous.

Sighing blissfully, Stampy plonked himself on the comfy bed. It was a long day after all. His body needed the rest it deserved.

Just as he was about to fall into a dreamless sleep, a faint noise was ringing in his ears. It was like the sound of wind blowing. However, the wind sound was far from soothing; it was haunting even. He tried to ignore it, but it was as if it did not want him to fall asleep. It got louder and louder every second. When Stampy covered his head over his pillow in an attempt to stop the weird noise, a soft, creepy voice whispered in his ear.

_"Heyyy..."_

"Gah!" Stampy hollered as he shot out of bed. Was was that all about? Was it Squid trying to pull a prank on him? Or was it a faulty window that needed to be fixed? Whatever that whole thing was, he wanted it to go away.

As he lazily turned his head to his bedside table, he jumped in pure shock.

Right at that little table was a ornate crystal wine glass filled with netherrack red wine.

**I'll leave it to you to solve my little puzzle. (Prepare for plot twists)  
**

**I have actually planned to make this a novel (a story w a few illustrations), but for some reason I gave up with the first illustration cause I didn't like it for unknown reasons.**

**Y'know, I have actually thought of finding a proof-reader to help me edit my chapters. I probably cannot find one that specializes in Minecraft (Stampycat especially), probably someone to check for spelling/grammatical errors. The problem is I don't really know where to find one, and I worry that my editor would be busy and my uploads will be delayed and stuff… :/**


	3. Chapter II--Archer Enemy

Repulsive Food Eater

Chapter II—Archer Enemy

For a moment, Stampy refused to move a muscle, fearing that whoever doing this would jump out of nowhere and harm him if he tried to move. His eyes darted around fearfully, not daring to draw a breath. After a whole minute, nothing happened, and he audibly sighed in relief.

His gaze then fixed upon the wine glass, its contents bubbling, showing that it was fresh. That perfect shade of red... it was the same netherrack red that he intended it to be. What was going on? Did some kind soul finish Nether Rine for him?

Curiosity got the better of him as he held the glass' stem, gently stirring the liquid. It was real wine, no doubt. Stampy was tempted to taste it, but he refrained from doing so—he didn't know whether the drink was tampered with. A thousand thoughts and doubts surfaced in his head, giving him a massive headache.

Deciding to wait until tomorrow, Stampy laid his head on the pillow, tossing and turning in attempts to fall asleep.

It was a restless night for Stampy. When the first rays of dawn shone mercilessly on his face, he groaned as he groggily rose from bed. His mind was filled to the brim with negative emotions, something that the happy-go-lucky duke rarely experiences. He didn't feel like doing anything today other than stuffing his face with cake.

As Stampy continued thinking about it, the wine began bubbling vigorously. This phenomenon caused him to be surprised; the wine should have cooled by now. There was no heat source catering to the drink, so what was causing Nether Rine to boil?

_(Ugh, every time I think about the wine it gives me a massive headache... Oh well, I think I'll talk to my friends about it.)_

Strolling to the dining room, he tried taking a few deep breaths to clear his mind, only for someone to bang onto him, knocking the wind out of him.

"Sorreh! I really am!" The boy apologised profusely. Stampy recognised him as Squid's brother, Tomohawk. He was born in the North but moved to the South to study business management. Stampy remembered Squid mentioning that Tom's dream was to set up some sort of biscuit company when he graduates.

"Do watch where you're going. Why are you in such a hurry?" Stampy asked.

"Ah, about that." Tom thrusted today's newspaper in Stampy's face. "That red archer terrorist that you've been talking about so much has been arrested!"

Immediately after hearing the news, Stampy frantically grabbed the paper and scanned the article hungrily.

_Finally, after all these years living in constant fear, the sole person causing all this trouble has finally been put behind bars._

_The mysterious red archer clad in blood red armour has continuously plotted attacks on various countries in Minecraftia and attempted to assassinate world leaders. His attacks include bombing of buildings, leading a vicious wolf army to harm the common people and brutally killing the nobility. _

_Nobody knows the man's true identity. Some say that he is a vengeful heckler and some say that he was once a soldier who was publicly humiliated. _

_His first target was in the northern region of the Northern Country, Lovely World. When the ruling nobility had lost all hope, the Western Country stepped in and saved the North from an era of chaos and despair._

_Blah blah blah he is a terrifying man yap yap yap the long arms of the law has finally caught him yada yada yada..._

While skimming through the ridiculously long article describing the red archer, Stampy's eyes rested on a single, important sentence:

_He is currently safely locked up in the high security dungeons of Marianna Palace._

**...**

Standing at the magnificent entrance of Marianna Palace, Stampy took a deep breath. He let his gaze trail onto the expertly crafted quartz that made up the palace, where it stretched on as far as the eye could see. A new servant could get him or herself lost in the enormous building. One would have his eyes bulging out of their eye sockets just by looking at the sheer size of the palace, but the duke was not fazed. Granted, when he first visited the palace when he was seven years old, his tiny mind was blown. Even though he was a rare guest in Marianna Palace, having living in a large mansion made him view some things slightly different from commoners.

Due to the palace being almost entirely made out of quartz, the material reflects a lot of light which makes the building extremely sore for the human eye to look at. The red carpet that directed visitors to the many different sections of the palace was a huge contrast to the white floor. It was as if Marianna Palace was the sibling of Dahlberg Palace-both palaces had glaring walls and floors that reflect off a lot of light that had the potential to blind someone.

Stampy silently grumbled to himself as he squinted his eyes. It did not help that the large windows allowed the strong rays of the afternoon sun to enter the palace, reflecting harsh light absolutely everywhere. Honestly, what was the architect thinking about making an _entire _palace out of such glaring material? Did he or she not know that the Northern Country received the most sunlight out of the four countries? It was as if he was inside of a bright light bulb!

The palace staff however, do not seem too bothered by the light. They greeted his (sudden) arrival and led him to the dungeons to meet a certain someone.

Stampy's footsteps echoed across the stone stairwell. The lone torches that hung on the wall illuminated ominous shadows as the duke continued walking down. It was not long before he reached the end of the never ending stairs to face a thick iron door. The stoic guard stared at Stampy with his steely eyes. After he told him that he was here to see _him, _the orange haired man was granted access.

Harsh, ragged breathing was what Stampy heard. He gingerly approached the green haired prisoner in dirty jail clothing. When the terrorist noticed his appearance, he gave him his meanest glare he could send.

"What the hell do you want, little boy?" He snapped, gritting his teeth together in anger.

"Ohh, you still remember me."

"Well of course I do!" He yelled as he jerked his body to face Stampy. "I can never forget the day when you were sobbing like the pathetic little kid you are! I almost had it, y'know? Not until that bastard started poking his nose into other's business!"

For a second, neither party spoke up. The only sound that filled the empty dungeon was the prisoner's ragged breaths.

"Why... why would you do such horrible things?" Stampy timidly spoke up, "why would you want to hurt innocent people trying to live their lives? Why? I... I don't understand..."

The terrorist stared at him through his bangs with his empty green eyes as if he was the stupidest person in the world. Then he started chuckling. Soon it turned to laughter. Not that kind of laughter that you would hear from your friends after you told a joke; it was maniacal laughter that could only come from the truly insane.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! OF COURSE A STUPID, SPOILT CHILD LIKE YOU COULD NEVER UNDERSTAND! Nobles like you live comfortable and sheltered lives, having unlimited riches, hundreds of servants to serve you and people that look up to you! But ME? All I had was STALE BREAD, a DINGHY TENT and EVERYONE LOOKS DOWN UPON ME! THEY THINK THAT I AM A JOKE, A LOSER WITH BIG DREAMS THAT I CAN NEVER FULFILL! Y'KNOW WHAT?! I'LL SHOW THEM, I'LL SHOW THEM WHAT I'M MADE OF! I'LL MAKE THEM PAY FOR LAUGHING AND THROWING DIRT AT ME! Soon, EVERYONE will OBEY ME, and I won't be a NOBODY anymore!

"I was so close to achieving that goal. Soooo close. Of COURSE, that magnificent BASTARD had to interfere! Because of HIM, I am now sitting here, ROTTING IN JAIL! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW KID? AREN'T YOU ELATED TO KNOW THAT I AM NOW SENTENCED TO THIS SHITHOLE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE?! IS THAT WHY YOU'RE HERE?! **TO MOCK ME?!"**

If glares could kill, poor Stampy would have died a horrific death. His emerald eyes widened in pure innocence as he raised both hands and shook them profusely. "No! I-I just wanted... to... y'know... know more about you."

Was it pity he saw in the duke's eyes? Hhmph. A strong, independent man like him didn't need a weak, childish nobleman's pity. "Are you implying that you feel _sorry _for me?" He hissed.

"Well... yes. Yes, I do feel sorry for you. Instead of living a humble and peaceful life, you had to suffer so much. Poverty and discrimination drove you mad, so you decided to unleash your wrath on the people that hated you."

"Wha...? How the hell did you know? I never told you anything about my past!" The prisoner said, dumbfounded.

Stampy scratched the back of his head. "Ehehe... when you screamed about having to live on stale bread, having no proper home and everyone looking down on you, I made an assumption that your life wasn't all sunshine and rainbows."

The terrorist was about to let out a scoff and a retort when all of a sudden, the duke asked what his name was. Okay, first he came to humiliate him, and then he wants to know his _identity? _Oh man, Stampy fancypants has _certainly_ stepped over the line.

"What the _hell_ is wrong with you? Are you done toying with me? NOW GET THE _FUCK_ OUT!" He hollered at the top of his lungs, thrashing against the chains restricting his movements.

Stampy took a step back in shock. He must have had taken pride in hiding his identity from the outside world, thus resulting in his outburst. He muttered a quick sorry before darting to the exit.

When he reached the surface, he sighed heavily. Well, at least the trip wasn't wasted—he was able to have a better understanding of his plight. Just as Stampy was about to leave, a soft voice called out to him. The owner of the voice was a young woman with short and silky blonde hair. Her white silk gown hugged every curve of her body, and her matching white cape cascaded down her petite figure. With her pale skin and ghastly white attire, she almost camouflaged into the quartz palace. However, her regal purple crown and striking blue eyes made her visible. She made a small wave with her delicate hand, beckoning him over.

At the sight of the empress of his country, he flashed a bright smile. "Your Highness." He greeted politely.

The Empress let out a soft giggle. "No one's here, you can dismiss formalities."

"Hah hah! Whatever you say Chloe."

"I haven't seen you since you were a cute little boy. I remember you running around the palace, begging me to play with you." Stampy blushed a little over the memory. "So while you're here, I thought we can have a chat over tea."

Even though Stampy already had something to eat before arriving, he couldn't really turn down the offer. In his younger years he would tag along with his father when he visited the palace to attend to some business things, Stampy's father would say. Being his playful self, he would run around the palace and explore the place as if he was an explorer on a field trip. When he and Chloe were introduced to each other by their fathers, Chloe was extremely shy and dared not speak to him, much less make eye contact. Nether less, Stampy tried his best to assure her that he was a friend. He didn't go wild like he would when he was on a play date with Squid, but rather take it a step at a time, allowing Chloe to engage in activities that she enjoys and slowly get to know her better. By the time Stampy's father was done with his business project, Stampy and Chloe were best friends, from sharing toys to sharing secrets crushes. However, the two friends drifted apart, having responsibility after responsibility being heaved on their shoulders as they grew older. What better way to end his visit by catching up with an old friend?

During tea, Chloe was explaining how the first emperor of the Northern County had a strange obsession with quartz, demanding Marianna palace to be built entirely out of it. She said that the weather in the North five hundred ago was much cloudier than it is today, thus it was still reasonable at that time for a building to be constructed out of quartz.

"Oh, and then, Adam kneeled down and flashed a gorgeous gold-budder as he would say- ring and proposed to Alesa! How adorable is that?!" Chloe squealed, gushing at the fond memory of her ex fiancee and his sweetheart. Truth to be told, Chloe had a _major _crush on Sky since the first day she met him. She wrote love letters to him once a week, while lying on her king sized bed, daydreaming of them together on a romantic date.

When Chloe learned that Sky only saw her as a friend, she was demoralised, confining herself in her chambers, tearing her love letters and his pictures, and cried her heart out. As she grew older, she began to get over her little crush and accept the fact that Sky will never truly love her. Instead, she supported him. After all, Chloe did not want a loveless marriage.

Sky's sweetheart was a maid working for a wealthy merchant. It was said that this woman was very beautiful and had captured the hearts of many men; and she had stolen the young prince's heart without trouble. The young couple would often sneak out for a date, while Chloe would help give Sky an excuse after another to explain his absence.

After _much _persuading, Sky's family accepted his marriage with the maid, though it took a little more time for Chloe's family to accept the sudden change.

Chloe was crowned Empress Dowager after her father's passing. Since then, she inherited her father's duties and immersed herself in work, politely rejecting social events that her friends from Lovely World invited her to. Now, to have one of her old friends have a chat with her over tea was the best thing she could ask for.

Stampy glanced at the two sugar lumps that were dissolving in his tea before diverting his attention to Chloe who was busy babbling away about Sky and Alesa's wedding in expert detail. They swapped stories for the rest of the evening.

**...**

"Are you serious?"

"Yes! It's going to be_ a-mazing!"_

"What about Cake Day instead?"

"Nonsense! You already have an abundance of cake from Lee! Just imagine how beautiful this place would be in no time!"

"Are you implying that my Lovely World is ugly?"

"What? No! I didn't-"

"Hah hah hah! I'm just kidding Amy!"

When Stampy returned from his visit from Marianna Palace, Amy eagerly requested a holiday called Earth Day, where people would buy a tree or flowers and plant it; something about saving the Earth from global warming. Stampy didn't find it unusual; Amy had a strong passion for nature, especially lovely- jubblies(roses).

"So are you gonna agree to it?" Amy asked hopefully, her sea blue eyes twinkling.

"Y'know, Squid requested Squid Day, and Rosie wants Penguin Day. Let me think about it first..."

Upon hearing this, the pink haired girl deflated a little, but after a second she returned to her perky self again. "Okay! You go and consider, while I go and pick some more sunkisses for my garden." She waved goodbye as she swung her basket, singing a merry tune.

Seeing how happy she was, Stampy felt bad about turning down her suggestion; it seemed the most legitimate idea out of the other ones.

As he turned to retire to his room, he suddenly felt the same surge of pain he felt during his last seizure. _Oh no, oh Notch please no! I can't have another one again! Oh my Notch, no! Oh nononononononononononono..._

**...**

With a pained groan, Stampy awoke to find himself in his bed. A man in a crisp white coat hastily scribbling down notes on a notebook. At his bedside, Rosie was daydreaming. Her troubled face told him that whatever was on her mind wasn't pleasant. As she lazily scanned her beady black eyes around the room, she noticed Stampy had awoken and snapped out of her trance, yelling, "OI! STAMPY HAS AWOKEN! COME QUICK!"

Almost immediately, his friends barged into the room and crowded around his bed, worry and concern written all over their faces. They bombarded poor Stampy with hundreds of questions such as: 'Are you alright?' or 'How did you hurt yourself like that?' Amy was apologising profusely about how stressed she made him about Earth Day and told him to drop her idea. She still kept apologising even though Stampy repeatedly reassured her that it was alright and it wasn't her fault.

"STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMPS!" A shout caught everyone's attention. They turned their heads to the source of the sound to see Squid bursting into the room at breakneck speed, with Lee in tow. Squid rushed to his bedside and gave his best friend a bone-crushing hug. "STAMPS! NOOO PLEASE! YOU'RE MAH BESTEST FRIEND! DON'T DIEEEEE STAAAAMPS!" He sobbed in Stampy's sleeve and blew his nose on it. Lee just situated himself at the corner of the room, playing with his hair.

"Uhh... it's alright mate, you can stop crying now, I'm okay." Stampy said, blushing. The others stood awkwardly, keeping themselves busy by staring at their shoes or whistling.

"BUT STAAAAAAAMPS! YOU FAINTED **TWICE! **DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I WAS WORRIED ABOUT YEH WHEN I HEARD THE NEWS?! I WAS SO SCARED I WOULD LOSE YEEHHHH!" Squid resumed to his sobbing.

Stampy hesitantly faced at the doctor, mouthing, 'Help me'. The doctor then coughed rather loudly. "Excuse me, I would like to personally speak to Joseph Garrett's family, please."

Squid stopped crying and wiped his tears with his sleeve. "That's us."

"And you are...?"

"David Spencer. Stamps' friend."

"Uh... no. I mean _family."_

_"He has no family." _Ash mouthed.

"Oh." The doctor shifted his coat tensely. "Come with me then, Mr Spencer."

Squid once again dragged Lee with him. The teenager shot a worried glance to his sick friend, and Stampy shot him a pained smile.

Stampy's friends tried to keep him company by telling funny stories and jokes, but he wasn't really listening. While Longbow was telling an incident where Ash ate a cheese with redstone filling during April Fool's Day, Stampy was thinking about what disease he might have. Was it type 2 diabetes? It could be, considering that his daily sugar intake was more than what was recommended of him.

"WHAAAAAAATT?! NOOOOOO! THAT CAN'T BEH TRUEEE! STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMPS! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Squid hollered before crying.

_(Oh no... whatever condition I have isn't pretty if Squid's a sobbing heap.) _

Stampy didn't hear any reaction from Lee, leaving him wondering how he reacted to whatever news the doctor told them. Just then, the door opened and Lee beckoned the others to leave the room. His expression was stoic and impossible to make out how he was feeling on the inside. There was a lot bickering and blaming going on behind the scenes. It broke Stampy's fragile heart to hear them arguing-the Magic Animal Club usually got along despite their differences. After a few minutes, there was a long silence. Stampy strained his ears to detect hushed whispers, but detected none.

Finally, the group returned. They all had crestfallen expressions written all over their faces. The air was tense; nobody dared to say a word. Stampy broke the silence by asking, "is everything alright?"

"Nothing!" Squid said a little too quickly. "Everything's fine. Just fine!"

**Not!**

**Y'know, I have the passion to write when I'm on an outing. During my holiday, I was furiously writing this chapter and other ones for other stories, ALL DAT INSPIRATION! On the downside, school starts on 29 June... ughhh. So don't expect early updates.**

**I'm sorry, I wish I could do whatever I want, but I have to waste my precious teenage years in school, and I have no say in anything. Double uggghhh.**


	4. Chapter III--Going Downhill

Repulsive Food Eater

Chapter III—Going Downhill

"And then Rosie was all like: 'No! Don't eat penguins!' Get it? Hah hah hah!"

"..."

"Huh? Not funny? Alright then, what happened when Amy found out that Lovely-jubliees were officially named poppies? She went _ballistic. _Hah hah hah!"

"..."

Squid groaned and slapped his lap. "What's wrong Stamps? You used to love mah jokes, and now ah don't see any reaction from yeh!"

Stampy shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe because your jokes aren't funny anymore?"

"Hey!" Squid playfully shoved his head. "I'm a once-in-a-millennium prodigy in comedy! You should appreciate everything I'm doing for you!"

"..."

Squid sighed as he slumped on his seat mumbling, "I give up..."

It had been a week since the doctor diagnosed Stampy's condition. Now with everyone racing against time, trying their best to spend every second they could with their duke friend before it was too late. They tried to keep their topics as happy and full of sunshine and rainbows as possible. Even his pets were brought into his room to visit him.

"Hey Stamps, do you want to do something fun tonight? Like a barbeque or fishing?" Squid suggested.

"Squid, I thought the doctors told me to avoid oily food? And you know I hate fishing." Stampy said flatly.

"Uhh… what about some minigame, or building a new one?" Squid suggested again, becoming a bit uncomfortable.

"Squid… you _do _know that I am currently sick and not allowed to do any strenuous physical activities?"

Squid shot up from his seat and stomped his foot impatiently. "Ughh! You can't do this, you can't do that. What _can_ you do then? You only live once!"

Stampy chuckled in pure amusement. "Oh Squid nugget, why are you acting as if I'm going to die tomorrow? After I've recovered we can go and do anything we want." He then flashed a warm smile towards his best friend who could only stay rooted to the ground. Squid's eyes flashed with a certain indescribable emotion, and it was by no means a good one. Tears were beginning to form at the edge of his eyes, but he forced them back and returned to look at his friend again, forcing a smile.

"Of course, I understand. So, what would you like to do right now?" Squid asked as he returned to his seat.

"Anything you want, as long as it's nothing strenuous."

"What do you want to eat?"

"Anything you want, as long as it's nothing unhealthy."

"What do you want to do tomorrow?"

"Anything you want."

_(Dammit!) _Squid cursed inwardly. He hated Stampy for his generic responses. The whole reason why he sacrificed his super important afternoon nap was to spend valuable time with him. The entire visit was about Stampy and only Stampy. Not his, not Lee's, not Amy's nor anyone else's. The cheerful orange haired man was about to die in a month or less and he still thinks about his friends. Then again, they did not tell him about the horrid fate that he would be facing.

Squid did not care if he had to sacrifice his naps, swims, meals or anything like that. As long as his friend was safe and happy, that was all that mattered. If Stampy wanted anything he would get it for him. He wanted a ten pound cake? No problem. He wanted an Olympic-sized pool? No problem. He wanted Squid to eat squids? No problem. He wanted him to jump down a building? No problem. He wanted him to boil himself alive? No problem.

No, there was no problem. As long as he was happy during his last phase of his life, anything is fine.

**…**

When Netty heard the bad news, she almost fainted on the spot. _How could this be?_ She kept chanting to herself. _He was fine when he last visited a month ago. How_

_.. what… why? _A billion questions circled in her head until it gave her a terrible headache. After the headache subsided, she immediately decided to visit her younger brother in the North.

It was shocking, really. Stampy had always been as fit as a fiddle, no matter how many sugary treats he loaded himself with. To suddenly hear that he collapsed due to type two diabetes was shocking.

Not to mention that his heart was failing.

On the way, Netty had disturbing mental images clogging her mind. One included Stampy's friends weeping at his coffin while dressed in full-on black. The other was of Stampy violently coughing out blood until his eyes rolled up, his face deathly pale. The more she conjured up disturbing mental images, the more panicky she got. She even yelled at the coachmen to hurry up a couple of times, despite the fact that the carriage was already moving at high speeds; if they rode any faster, the coachmen would lose control and crash.

Despite knowing that, she didn't give a damn. She continued hollering and screeching at them to speed up. The poor coachmen had tried to reason with their duchess, but nothing made her change her mind. In the end, they obeyed her orders and furiously whipped the reins of their horses, urging them to push the limits.

Finally, Netty was satisfied. She could feel the sheer force of the wind flapping her perfectly tied up hair wildly, and it excited her. Surely she was going to see her dear brother ahead of schedule. There were so many things to be said and done, there was simply no time to waste, not even a split second. Stampy's life was hanging by a thread, and she feared that he might be gone by the time she arrived. Yes, she would—

Netty's train of thoughts was rudely interrupted by a huge rattle of the carriage. At first she thought nothing of it, but the rattling came more frequently and violently. Plus, the distressed neighing of the horses and the panicked cries of the coachmen did not signal anything good.

All of a sudden, the carriage made a sharp turn and the doors flung open, sending Netty flying out. Her body made a few rolls before her head slammed onto a tree trunk.

Netty felt the wind being knocked out of her entire being, and stars started flooding her vision. It wasn't long before she blanked out, the sickly crunching of bones and wood was the last sounds she heard.

**…**

"Come on Lee! Why won't you see Stamps?" Squid pestered.

Lee solemnly shook his head, keeping his mouth firmly shut.

"Come _ooooon._ He's about to _die. _The doctor says he ain't got a lot of time left!" Squid persisted, shaking Lee's arms. However, Lee refused to leave his spot, being perfectly content sitting on the bed.

Frustrated, Squid grabbed the boy's chin, forcing him to make eye contact. He stared hard into Lee eyes, trying to detect some emotion in those orbs. However, it was as if he had placed a wall between him, blocking out his emotions from the world.

As soon as the doctor diagnosed Stampy's condition, Lee was the first to make a tactical retreat. He packed up and moved to his cottage at the miniature village, cutting off any contact with any human being. At first everyone decided to give him his own personal space to cope with the tragedy, but it has been over a few weeks and he was still isolating himself.

Rosie was also living in the village and had never once seen Lee step foot out of his house ever since he moved in. She had tried many a time to check on him, but he refused to answer the door. It came to a point where she was dead worried that he might do something silly, and she even resorted to threats and pleading to make him open the door. Despite her efforts, the doors to Lee's cottage remained firmly shut.

As a last resort, Squid got a locksmith to break the heavy lock securing the doors. When he entered the cottage, it was in a disastrous state. Food and clothing were strewn all over the place, a thin layer of dust coated the furniture, and a musky smell lingered in the air.

He found Lee sitting in his bed staring into space. His hair was disheveled; his skin greasy and he looked very tired. It looked like he didn't bother to do anything at all except for daydreaming.

Squid had tried speaking to him, to ask how he was doing. He remained silent. He then tried to enquire about his plans for the future, and he remained silent. He tried everything he could to get Lee talking, but he was as stubborn as a mole.

Lee hissed in annoyance and swatted Squid's hand away. He returned to staring at the wall with renewed interest.

Squid balled his fists with a death grip. Seriously, did he need to punch Lee to put some sense into him? There Stampy was, lingering between life and death, and instead of spending precious time with him, he locks himself up at home feeling sorry for himself!

Punching Lee was _very _tempting, but Stampy would never approve of violence. He wouldn't want to drag him over with a bruised cheek or a black eye.

Squid made a last attempt to get him talking. "Stamps misses ya. He just wants to chat with ya for a minute."

This time, Lee didn't even shake his head. He just remained perfectly still.

Sighing, Squid placed his hands in his pocket while hanging his head in defeat. "Alright, if ya wanna stay this way. If ya change your mind, the door's always open for ya." With that, he turned and left.

Lee's surroundings were silent once more. It was how he liked it. Yet, his heart felt heavy. It was as if his friend's visit had triggered something in him. Sadness overwhelmed his senses, and soon hot tears spilled out of his eyes and splattered on his hands. The barrier that shielded his emotions from the outside world were now broken.

It was not that he was heartless or uncaring. He just felt… guilty. He could have done something during Sky's birthday party when Stampy was going mental eating all those pastries. He could have moderated his diet, since he was technically his chef. He could have refused his pleas for more cake. He could have done all those, and this whole tragedy could have been avoided. Yet, he didn't.

Stampy was going to die, and it was all his fault.

Lee hated himself for it and was too ashamed to face him. He would probably be too ashamed to turn up at his funeral that was bound to happen sooner or later.

**…**

Tomohawk paced up and down the mansion, taking glances at his pocket watch. Sighing, he stared out from the window, watching the evening sun set from the horizon, painting the sky with orange and purple hues.

Where was Netty? She was supposed to turn up many hours ago. She even mentioned in her letter that she would arrive a.s.a.p. Maybe she met with an accident in the way? That could be the only reason. He knew that she was never late; always on time and sometimes ahead of schedule.

A billion scenarios formed in his head, each becoming more disastrous than the other. Eventually, he went into panic mode and ordered his brother to send a search team to find Netty.

"I mean it! We need to search for her! It's been four hours! She's never late, so that means that she's in trouble! We gotta rescue her!" Tomohawk shrieked, slamming his fists on the desk.

Squid nodded calmly. "Yes, I'll do that shortly. In the meantime, why don't ya accompany Stamps in his sis' absence?"

Tomohawk complied. However, when Stampy saw him enter instead of his sister, his hopeful smile faltered.

Stampy had been anticipating Netty's visit for a couple of days. He had a lot of talking planned, and he excitedly shared it with his friends. They couldn't help but flash pitiful smiles. Keeping him in the dark was bad enough.

"Tomohawk, why aren't my meds working?" Stampy asked.

"Huh?"

"The medicine! You guys said that these things would make me feel better. It's been a few weeks and I'm not getting better, but worse in fact! Can you tell that to the doctor? The meds taste disgusting!" Stampy whined, slamming his fists on the bed childishly.

The boy went rigid. He felt uncomfortable, looking anywhere but at Stampy. "Oh! I'll tell the doc 'bout this. In the meantime, lemme tell you 'bout my future plans for my future cookie factory…"

"You told me that a few days ago, remember?" Stampy interjected.

"Uuh… what about I tell you 'bout my new year resolutions?"

"You told me that yesterday."

"Aiiii… what about I tell you 'bout that time where Amy dyed her hair blue on accident?"

"Ash told me that a week ago."

Tomohawk tensed, running out of topics to say. "Uugghh… what about that time when a servant accidentally poured coffee on Netty's cereal?"

"Longbow told me that this morning. Speaking of Netty, where is she? She was supposed to be here ages ago." Stampy asked, sitting upright on his bed and looking through the windows at his balcony, as if trying to spot his sister from town.

Tomohawk grimaced. "I don't really know. She must have encountered a bump or two during the journey. She'll come."

Upon hearing this, the duke paled visibly. "What? That can't be good. I'm sure that she wouldn't take _this _long to make it here, regardless of accidents or not. Oh no, it _must _have been a terrible accident. What if she's been kidnapped? What if she crashed? What if—"

Tomohawk silenced the panicky duke with a friendly pat on the shoulder. "It's okay, brother is sending out search teams to find her. You two will be reunited soon."

Stampy sighed in relief, knowing that Netty would be rescued. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he felt something tickling his throat. He started having a coughing fit, each cough becoming more violent than the former. Tomohawk rubbed his back in a futile attempt to seize his coughs.

_Splat._

Tomohawk's eyes became the size of dinner plates as he noticed a few splotches of red staining the bedsheets. Stampy continued to cough, his hands dripping with crimson blood. When the coughing fit subsided, he looked extremely pale and weak.

The boy panicked, not knowing what to do. He darted his eyes frantically around the room, trying to find something that could be of use. His eyes landed on a box of tissue paper tucked into the corner and he made a mad dash for it. He furiously grabbed as many tissues as he could before dabbing the blood off the duke's mouth and hands.

When he was done, he tucked Stampy into bed, telling him that he would get the doctor as soon as possible.

As he left the room, Tomohawk wondered with dread, how much longer Stampy could hold on.

**Story will go on hiatus after this year. Don't you dare leave me, I'll be back. Oh, and I'm watching you. ;)**


End file.
